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Symptoms of Miscarriage

It is a hard truth that
miscarriages are common. Indeed over 50% of women will experience at least one
in their lifetime. Sadly, this is a burden that women feel they have to bear
alone. We want to change this. By talking about miscarriages, we can
help expecting mothers become educated and offer both physical and emotional
support. In the majority of cases
miscarriages are caused by genetic anomalies, however, if there is a chance to
prevent or treat a threatened miscarriage, knowledge is our first and most
powerful tool.

In Western medicine the
most common approach to treat a threatened miscarriage is to ‘wait and see’,
employing bed rest or to restrict physical and sexual activity. While rest is absolutely essential in both
preventing and treating a threatened miscarriage acupuncture and Chinese
medicine can offer more active treatment that may positively impact a
threatened miscarriage.

Some symptoms to look for are:

spotting/bleeding

cramping

low back pain

a bearing down sensation

fatigue

heavy bleeding

*Remember that it can be very common for spotting or light
bleeding in the first trimester and it doesn't necessarily mean there is a
threatened miscarriage. At this
stage you’ll want to see your physician to confirm whether it is a threatened
miscarriage and to make sure there are no other complications (get an
ultrasound and a blood test checking your Rh factor and hCG levels).

There may be other signs
that Western medicine doesn’t look at but helps in diagnosing from a Chinese
medicine standpoint like:

heart palpitations

a feeling of cold (especially in the low back)

night sweats

dry mouth and throat

These can help us provide a specifically tailored treatment plan
for you to achieve optimum results.

Prevention is key in
helping to treat threatened miscarriages.
If you’ve previously had a miscarriage, had habitual miscarriages, or
are an ‘at risk’ pregnancy (meaning that you became pregnant after a period of
infertility), starting treatments right from the beginning or ideally before
becoming pregnant will help to ensure a smooth and healthy pregnancy.

Miscarriages should not remain a taboo subject, but rather should
be discussed openly. Through this
open discussion comes education and the opportunity to proactively pursue
treatment and directly impact a positive outcome - a healthy pregnancy and a
healthy baby.